Witchy's "Eagle" Page

Raven hair, ruby lips, sparks fly from her fingertips...

  Welcome to my web page.  This is my Wall.  Here you'll see what I do.  I'm an F-15 crew 
chief (mechanic) in the US Air Force.  My father was a crew chief when he was in the Air Force, too, but on much bigger aircraft.  I guess you could say I'm carrying on in his footsteps.  His advice and words of wisdom have been a major influence in my life, and in my career.  We're stationed at Elmendorf AFB in Alaska right now, but we've got orders to Tyndall AFB, in Florida, so I'll get to be nearer to my family soon!  I love my job, I love what I do.  I figure if you get a job you like, you'll never work a day in your life.  So here it is, in all it's glory...
Remembering the Forgotten Mechanic
   Through the history of world aviation, many names have come to the fore~  Great deeds of the past in our memories will last as they’re joined by more and more
When man first started his labor in his quest to conquer the sky~  he was designer, mechanic and pilot and he built a machine that would fly~  But somehow the order got twisted, and then in the public’s eye the only man that could be seen, was the man who knew how to fly~
The pilot was everyone’s hero, he was brave, he was bold, he was grand~  as he stood by his battered old biplane with his goggles and helmet in hand~
To be sure, these pilots all earned it, to fly you have to have guts~  And they blazed their names in the hall of fame on wings with baling wire struts
But for each of these flying heros, there were thousands of little reknown~  and these were the men who worked the planes but kept their feet on the ground
We all know the name of Lindberg, and we’ve read of his flight to fame~  But think, if you can, of his maintenance man, can you remember his name?
And think of our wartime heros, Gabreski, Jabara, Scott~  Can you tell me the names of their crew chiefs?  A thousand to one you cannot~
Now pilots are highly trained people and wings are not easily won~  But without the work of the maintenance man our pilots would march with a gun~
So when you see mighty jet aircraft as they mark their way through the air~  the grease stained man with the wrench in his hand is the man who put them there
~Anonymous


 
 
 

The jet is called the F-15 Eagle.  You'll see alot of pictures like this one in the maintenance community.  This is one of my favorites.  As you could probably guess, I'm partial to eagles.  Not only do they symbolize my country, but also my chosen profession.  Following are some of the best pictures I've found of my "Eagle".
 
 

    This one's a beauty, rolling away in the sun.
 
 
 
 

      A beautiful shot of an eagle put to bed for the night.
 
 
 

     And of course, we can't forget the maintenance engine runs in the night, after the flying is done.  Many a night a crew chief stays 12 hours or maybe a little more to work their aircraft.  There is no better satisfaction than working your jet all night long and then launch it in the morning, to see it take off for another sortie.  It's why a crew chief *is* a crew chief.  But it's not only the crew chief that stays late to fix a jet, there are numerous others that stay with them, the avionics technicians, the ecs and electrics techs, the engine troops, and the many others that make up a flightline maintenance team.
 
 
 

  This is a jet from Seymour Johnson AFB kicking in the afterburner and going hell bent for who knows where.  I like to think he's off to kick some Saddam Butt...*g*
 

Here's a shot of a crew chief launching out or recovering his jet after a sortie.  There's something about marshalling in or launching out your airplane.  When you're TDY (temporary duty) to another base, the specialists and weapons troops sometimes launch them out for us, just for the experience.  I don't know why they do, but they do.  It's a maintenance thing, you wouldn't understand...
 

    Here are 4 eagles over Alaska.  Let me tell you, it gets mighty cold out on the line in the winter time.  It's the most beautiful country you'll ever see, and the most deadly, too.  If a pilot punches out over water, he's got approximately 10 minutes to get out of it, on land in the middle of the winter, he's got about 2 hours to be found alive.  It's a demanding lifestyle, but the feeling of satisfaction you get knowing you're protecting and defending your country is worth every frozen minute.

    This is a jet based out of Holloman AFB,
when they had F-15's, shooting a missile.

    Last but not least, lets not forget the eagle above the clouds, where it was meant to be!   But remember, the grease stained man with the wrench in his hand is the man that put them there.
 

If you see a picture here you like, and would like to have the original full size .jpg, just drop me a line and I can send it to you.
 
 
 
 

   Visit my MIA/POW Dedication page

  Background courtesy of: 

                                                                See what we do for fun in Alaska!  Visit my husband's pages, they're awesome!!

~Write to Witchy~